More Juice
Buffalo Rifle did the trick for soft, low-pressure shooting, but it barely crested 1,200 fps with a full case. I could place the 452-300-RF bullets within 4″ at 25 yards, regardless of the load. This was good, but I knew I needed something with a little more sauce.
I began using 3N37. I started with 15.0 grains and increased the load incrementally. The groups tightened up at 15.3 grains, which averaged 1,307 fps. This was more like it. It dramatically splintered the plywood and sped through 48″ of gelatin, striking the backstop of our range. The S&W 460XVR with a 7.5″ barrel was printing headshots at 25 yards. At 15.6 grains, I averaged 1,340 fps, with a very low SD. This is 1,196 FPE. The 450XVR effortlessly spat the 300-grain pills out, and I was practically running a clinic on soft-shooting monster killers.
The empty brass extracted as if they were lubricated, and they were less stressed when sizing. I’m pretty sure there are experts out there who know that the more powerful, the better. However, the cartridge I have been loading exceeds the hottest .44 magnum performance by far, which is why the .454 Casull was designed in the first place.
Subscribe To American Handgunner
Read the full article here
